Grand Ridge Supershine Extra Strong Ale

There have been many code-names attributed to the largest man-made explosion the planet has ever witnessed. Perhaps there have been other explosions of greater scale that occurred while the Earth’s back was turned, but you would think you would notice that kind of thing. That means it is fairly safe for you to assume that I am, of course, talking about the famous Tsar Bomba. Or “Project 7000” as it was known in some circles. Or not at all in others.

A product of Khrushchev’s All-Russian Scientific Research Institute Of Technical Physics, the project to develop the hugest of all hydrogen bombs was obviously seen as a licence to write blank cheques by the Soviet Bureaucracy, as the project saw a great many name changes, being variously known during its life time as “Izdeliye 202”, “Izdeliye V”, as well as “Article designation РДС-220”, “РДС-202”, “PH202”, “AH602” and “Codename Vanya”. The name “Tsar Bomba” was unimaginatively coined and settled upon in a mid-morning “stand-up” meeting at ARSRITP Head Office in 1961 following a series of long and drawn out workshops to determine, among other things, why they hadn’t simply named their organisation “All-Russian Science, Explosives Research Institute of Physics” and been done with it. It is said that the name “Tsar Bomba” was agreed upon as it was in keeping with other massive Russian objects like the Tsar Bell, Tsar Cannon and the Tsar Car. The CIA were undertaking clinical trials of LSD at the time and for some reason designated the test as “HEY JOE 111″.